The Prince of Wales has overseen the Royal Maundy service for the first time.
Prince Charles represented The Queen at the traditional ceremony which took place at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince was welcomed to the Chapel by the Dean of Windsor, the Right Reverend David Conner and by Bishop John Inge. The couple were presented with traditional nosegays made up of spring flowers in shades of blue, white and yellow as they made their way into St. George’s.
The Prince then distributed the Maundy money in a tradition going back centuries. In total, 96 men and 96 women were chosen as recipients – the number in each group always matches the age the Monarch reaches in that particular year.
The Prince of Wales handed over two purses to each of them. The white purse presented contains special 10p and 3p coins to a total of 96, again matching the Monarch’s age. There is also a red purse which contains two special coins, worth £5 and 50p, and which this year have been specially minted to mark the Platinum Jubilee.
Following the ceremony, the royal couple posed on the steps of St. George’s with the clergy and choristers involved as well as Yeoman of the Guard.
The Royal Maundy service is centuries old and is based on Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. Monarchs used to wash the feet of the poor but this was changed to the presentation of alms during the reign of Elizabeth I.
The Queen has missed four previous Maundy services, twice because she was on an overseas tour and also in 1960 and 1964 following the births of Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
